Sheffield

Sheffield's population grew in the 10 years leading up to the latest census. At the same time there were changes in health, religion and ethnicity.

The population passed 550,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Sheffield increased by 7.7%, from just over 513,000 to 553,000.

The addition of just over 39,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Sheffield was home to, on average, 11 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres). This made it Yorkshire and The Humber's second-most densely-populated district.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Sheffield

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Sheffield decreased by one year, from 37 to 36 years.

This city had a lower average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and became somewhat younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of about 19,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 7,000.

About 17% of people in Sheffield are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

This area saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad, as the regional average fell from 10% to 6.0%.

In 2011, just under 1 in 16 (6.2%) in Sheffield said their health was bad or very bad, compared with 11% in 2001. The percentage that perceived their health as good or very good increased from 65% to 80%.

The largest decrease occurred in Barnsley (from 14% to 8.4%) followed by Manchester (from 13% to 7.1%).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Sheffield decreased by 5.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Sheffield

The number of people in Sheffield that described themselves as Christian increased from about 350,000 in 2001 to just over 290,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 69% to 53% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 73% to 60%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Sheffield that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 92,000 in 2001 to about 170,000 in 2011 (from 18% to 31%). The number of people who described themselves as Muslim increased from just under 24,000 to just under 43,000 (from 4.6% to 7.7%).

Just under 38,000 people (7.8%) did not state their religion, down from about 40,000 in 2001 (6.8%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Christian in Sheffield decreased by 16 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Sheffield

The number of people in Sheffield from the White ethnic groups increased from just under 470,000 in 2001 to about 460,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 91% to 84% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 93% to 89%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Sheffield from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just under 26,000 in 2001 to about 44,000 in 2011 (from 5.0% to 8.0%). The number of residents from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from just over 9,100 to about 20,000 (from 1.8% to 3.6%).

About 13,000 people (1.6%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from just over 8,200 in 2001 (2.4%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Sheffield decreased by 7.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Sheffield

This area saw Yorkshire and The Humber's second-largest rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

Across the region, only Kingston upon Hull saw a greater rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership (from 34% to 42%).

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership, as the regional average grew from 29% to 34%.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (41%) people aged 16 and over in Sheffield said they were single, compared with 34% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 48% to 42%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

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